Meet the Doncaster tech start-up looking to get children active

Michael Brennan, Anthony McBride, Mark Brennan and Steve Howse at My Phizz

An education technology firm in Doncaster is expecting 100 schools to sign up to its service in its first year as it looks to shape the mental and physical wellbeing of pupils across the UK.

Myphizz is an app designed to encourage the mass participation of physical activity in primary and secondary schools.

Using a live leaderboard, children have the ability to set their own imaginative and creative challenges in classrooms, playgrounds or at home and compare results across their school and nationally.

Teachers also have access to a functional control dashboard.

The app also works with a growing number of role models to encourage children to become more active.

One of those models is

British Olympic sprinter Adam Gemili, who said: “The mental and physical wellbeing of children has never been more crucial with lockdown restrictions having a negative impact on activity levels. Many children are now sadly not meeting the recommended level of exercise.

“Myphizz gives children autonomy and empowers them to manage their own levels of physical activity through choosing exactly the types of exercise they enjoy, whether they’re completely new to physical activity and enjoy inventing their own fun and wacky physical challenges or they’re an aspiring athlete.”

The app was created by a group of four former teachers who wanted to encourage children to engage in a more active, healthier and happier lifestyle.

Two full-time software developers have worked with the founders to employ the latest programming techniques to realise the initial concept of Myphizz. The technology, which runs through secure school networks and is visible only to school communities, can be accessed via PC, tablet or mobile phone.

Anthony McBride, a founder of Myphizz, said: “A key part of the app has been building on our positive relationships with schools that we have through our other projects.

“It’s crucial we ensure inclusivity for pupils, while providing schools with a sustainable way of offering more creative opportunities for physical activity.

“With schools still impacted by the pandemic and children potentially missing out on physical activity while isolating at home, Myphizz provides a way for schools to continue communicating and engaging pupils in exercise while not in the school setting.”

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